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Arianna Huffington Shares Her 7 Keys to Living a Healthier Life

After refocusing her priorities to put her health first, Arianna Huffington, founder of Thrive Global, is all about helping women fight stress, sleep soundly, and feel their absolute best.

By
Arianna Huffington

Aug 10, 2017

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I have my daughter's college visits in April 2007 to thank for my wake-up call. (It was really more of an "oh-no" moment than an "aha" moment.) Christina had demanded that during the visit days, I not be on my phone. I reluctantly agreed, but that didn't mean I would stop working. So each night after dinner during our weeklong tour, Christina would go to sleep and I'd stay up late working. The morning after we got home, I collapsed from exhaustion and hit my head, cutting my eye and breaking my cheekbone. That was when I started to ask myself some tough questions about how I was living my life. I soon realized that with a few changes to my daily habits, I could seriously shift the course of my health and happiness. You, too, can take charge of your wellness!

Slumber is the gateway to a healthy life. Once you start sleeping more, it's easier to make other changes. If you're not already getting seven to nine hours of sleep, start by adding just 15 or 20 minutes a night. Think about it this way: There are plenty of appointments with others you simply make the time for, like coffee with a friend. Consider sleep an appointment with yourself and do the same.

2Learn to meditate.

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If you're tossing and turning at night, meditation may be a long-term solution that can help. A study published in the journal Explore found that people with insomnia who took a six-week mindfulness meditation course (in which they meditated for 30 minutes every evening) reported having fewer sleep problems both at the end of the class and a year later.

3Disconnect during the day.

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The fast pace that technology forces on your life can stress you out, so it's important to be deliberate about making time to unplug and recharge. Go to lunch without your phone, go on a walk without your phone, or eat dinner with friends without your phone. Whatever the activity you choose, plan time without your phone.

4Volunteer on a regular basis.

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It's as powerful for the giver as for the recipient. Volunteering has favorable effects on depression, life satisfaction, and well-being, according to research from the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom. Search for opportunities near you at idealist.org.

5Charge your phone outside your bedroom.

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Your phone is a repository of things that can distract you from sleep (to-do lists, emails, etc.). Plus, its blue light suppresses melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormone. That's why stashing it elsewhere at night can help you wake up fully charged too.

6Develop a sense of wonder (yes, as an adult!).

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Encountering things larger than yourself broadens your perspective and helps you put your life in focus. Each month, commit to one out-of-the-ordinary activity: Go to a museum, attend a concert, or even stare up at the stars.

7Make a point of walking and talking.

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Go for a walking meeting or catch up with a friend while you both stroll in the outdoors. You get to move, connect with someone else, and reap the mood-boosting benefits of being in nature all at once.

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